Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, June 19, 2003

Sweeping in for a landing near a golf course, the transports flew over what has been billed as an impenetrable security cordon _ dubbed the red zone _ covering 2 miles around the Porto Carras hotel complex, one of the largest casino resorts in the region.

Security for the three-day European Union summit, which opened Thursday, is unprecedented even by Greek standards.

An estimated 15,000 police officers and troops have been deployed to protect 33 heads of government.

An anti-aircraft missile battery protects the hotel from air attack. A frigate, two corvettes and 25 coast guard patrol boats monitor the adjacent Gulf of Kassandra, while frogmen scour the seabed. Lines of cargo containers and nets stop any beachgoers from approaching.

The Greek government mounted the massive operation for fear of terrorist attacks following the war in Iraq and demonstrations in recent years by tens of thousands of anti-globalization activists.

During the Iraq war, thousands of people staged demonstrations almost daily outside the embassies of Britain and the United States _ often with the support of the governing Socialist party.

But this time, much more is at stake in a country that is trying to showcase its security preparations for next year's Olympic Games and promote itself as a tourist destination.

"Security is an issue we approach with great sensitivity in our country," government spokesman Christos Protopapas said.

In the past year, police have cracked down on domestic terrorism and arrested 18 suspected members of the November 17 guerrilla group. The group is blamed for 23 killings and more than 100 bombings since 1975. Greece's failure to arrest any of its members for 28 years led to international criticism about its ability to fight terrorism and host the Olympics.

Government officials said security at the EU summit was just a small taste of what will happen in Athens during the games next August.

"For the Olympics, security measures will be much bigger as they will have to cover Athens and last much longer. Here we have a three-day event and a peninsula to deal with," said Tilemahos Hitiris, who speaks for the government on Olympic matters.

Greece has budgeted more than $600 million for Olympic security, and the government plans to deploy 50,000 personnel _ including 16,000 soldiers.

During the EU summit, more than 15,000 police, 1,000 coast guard personnel and 1,100 special forces are being used to secure the 70 miles separating the northern port of Thessaloniki to the seaside resort of Porto Carras.

Busloads of riot and traffic police were parked every few hundred yards along the sole highway leading to Porto Carras and the village of Neo Marmaras next to the resort hotel.

The summit was moved from Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, because of planned anti-globalization protests like the ones that have marred international gatherings in the past. Thousands of protesters gathered at a government-erected tent city.